Oregon State has opened as a 27½-point favorite over Idaho State for its 2024 season opener at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Reser Stadium.

It’s the third consecutive year the Beavers have opened the season as a favorite.

Saturday marks the debut for Oregon State coach Trent Bray, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State last November.

Just about all the fair food classics can be found at the North Idaho State Fair — but there’s only one spot to get a truly original elephant ear.  

Started by Leo Lee and two of his friends in 1974, this year marked The Original Elephant Ear’s 50th consecutive year at the fair — a family tradition that is now four generations strong and boasts the title of the longest-running booth at the fair.  

“I’ve helped out at the fair for as long as I can remember,” said Blair Davis, Lee’s grandson. He was heading operations at the booth on Saturday. While the family recipe for elephant ear dough has remained unchanged, Davis can recall many changes that have taken place at the fair over the years.  

“The fair’s gotten a lot bigger, for one thing,” Davis said. “We used to be in a trailer outside until we got moved into the food court. We’ve had 30, 40-minute lines over the years after rodeos.” 

The Original Elephant Ear has been family-owned and operated since Lee first introduced them to the North Idaho State Fair 50 years ago. Even the youngest members of the family help out by taking orders before eventually graduating to rolling out the dough or frying it up once they get a little older.  

“It’s just really fun every year,” said Jaylee Davis, Blair’s daughter. “Sometimes cousins come in to help that we don’t see for a while. It’s hard work and gets busy, but it’s really all worth it.”  

Blair mentioned another change that’s come to the fair in recent years — other booths have also begun selling elephant ears. “For a while, we were the only ones. We’re still the original,” he said, laughing. When tasting one, it’s easy to see why they’ve stood the test of time.

The fair concludes today.  

    Thatcher Lybbert mans the fryer in The Original Elephant Ears booth.
  

    Nathan Mayne shows off the finished product: a hot and fresh elephant ear dusted with cinnamon sugar.
 

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Firefighters put out a vegetation fire Saturday night on Table Rock, according to the Boise Fire Department.

Crews responded to a grass fire at 9:19 p.m. just below Table Rock between Warm Springs, Table Rock and Windsong roads, a social media post from the fire department said. The response team included five brush trucks, three engines, two water tenders, medics and a Boise Police Department drone unit, the post said.

The fire spread to two acres before firefighters were able to control it at 10:06 p.m., according to the department. Before it was put out, photos from eyewitnesses showed flames burning near the 60-foot illuminated cross at the top of the plateau.

Boise Fire said no structures were threatened, no property was damaged and no one was injured. Nearby residents were warned of the fire through a Code Red alert.

The fire department said it is investigating the cause of the fire.

Table Rock previously caught fire in June 2016 when a 19-year-old lit a Roman candle firework at the popular hangout. That fire burned 2,500 acres and destroyed a home.